Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions
Over 150 pupils embarked on their practice expeditions in the Chilterns this term.
The Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme is well-established and perennially popular at South Hampstead. Having undertaken social action projects, acquired new skills, and embraced a range of physical activities, more than 150 pupils in Year 9 and 10 embarked on their practice expeditions as part of the Bronze and Silver awards this month, showing great determination and resilience. One of our Year 10 teams report back on their experience:
‘The first day of our trudge through the countryside consisted of several unsuccessful attempts at map reading, nettle stings, falling into bushes, and countless hours of walking – but, thanks to some motivational talks from our instructor, we finally mastered the navigation and made it to the campsite. After collapsing from relief, and lying on the grass for an unreasonable amount of time, we finally made dinner, washed up and pitched our tents. Waking up on day 2 to a tent colonised by beetles wasn’t exactly the nature we’d signed up for. We began a gruelling trek defined by our instructor’s relentless pace, stomachs full of lumpy porridge. Breaks were a complete myth, and our feet felt as though they were about to burst out of our boots. To distract ourselves, we resorted to freestyle rapping about our mounting injuries: a low point in musical history, but a high point for team morale. Arriving back at the campsite to find our friends playing games felt like a fever dream, although the sight of a teammate’s spectacular blood blister quickly grounded us back in reality.
Day 3 brought the ultimate test: leaving a teammate behind and navigating the final leg entirely without our instructor’s assistance. The last stretch was a genuine battle of grit, where every rocky incline felt like a personal insult and every wrong turn meant one more collective team crash-out. But we made it. Limping back to the train station, barely in one piece, we realised the experience was less about how many times we got lost, but more about surviving all the chaos together. Despite the hardships, DofE was amazing, and it taught us many crucial life lessons and skills that we will never forget.’